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Explore the region
About Luoyang Bridge
Its construction is associated with Cai Xiang and innovative foundation work, including oyster cultivation to bind the base. Pagodas and carved monuments add a religious and commemorative layer to the engineering. Examine the piers and beam arrangement from safe public viewpoints, recognising that the bridge has undergone repeated repair since its Song-period construction.
Before the bridge existed, a ferry crossing called Wan'an carried travellers over the river mouth, where high winds and waves caused fatal accidents and made crossing impossible for days. In the Northern Song Qingli era, a Quanzhou local, Li Chong, built a floating bridge of stone piers and a wooden deck, but it was repeatedly destroyed by water before the permanent stone bridge's construction began in 1053. The bridge underwent 27 repairs between its completion and 1993, and in 1932 the Nineteenth Route Army reinforced its piers and added a concrete beam and deck.
The bridge is 731.29 metres long, with 47 spans carried on 46 stone piers; its south approach is 80.5 metres long and its main deck 5 metres wide. Each pier has a pointed prow facing upstream, a raft foundation (筏型基础) built from stone, with the top courses cantilevered outward to reduce the beam span above. Five hundred stone balustrades line the bridge to keep pedestrians from falling into the water.
According to local tradition, the river is named for Luoyang, after a Tang emperor travelling incognito remarked that its scenery resembled that city. The bridge was listed as a Major National Historical and Cultural Site (全国重点文物保护单位) in 1988, and in 2009 it was shortlisted as a nomination site for the Maritime Silk Road World Heritage bid.
What to look for
- The stone piers and heavy beam spans across the estuary.
- The pagodas and monuments around Zhongzhou island.
Background & history
The Luoyang Bridge, also known as Wan'an Bridge, is located in Quanzhou, Fujian province, China. The stone bay bridge is situated at the mouth of Luoyang River. Being the first stone bay bridge in China, it enjoys the reputation of "one of the four ancient bridges of China". The project started from the fifth year (1053) of Huangyou's ruling period in the Northern Song dynasty. Cai Xiang, the chief of Quanzhou prefecture in the 3rd year (1058) of Jiayou's reign, took over the task of constructing the bridge, who had overcome several difficulties concerning bridge deck pavement and bridge pier by applying a raft foundation and raising oysters in the river to strengthen the base. In the fourth year (1059) of Jiayou's reign, the construction of Luoyang bridge was completed and Cai Xiang wrote "The Wan'an bridge" for it. The bridge had been reconstructed and repaired in the later dynasties. In the Southern Song dynasty, pagodas and fengshui pagodas were built outside the guardrail of the bridge.
Excerpt from Wikipedia: Luoyang Bridge · Wikipedia contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected introductory sentences; formatting simplified. Background information, not current visitor-service advice.
The surrounding area
A city base for maritime heritage, religious buildings, old lanes and a possible performance.
Location & getting there
Getting to Luoyang Bridge
Choose the southern approach in Quanzhou’s Luojiang District or the northern Luoyang Town approach when arranging a road transfer. The two ends are separated by the river crossing, so agree whether to return to the same pickup point.
Combine your visit
A suggested sequence linking the specific features of this visit.
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Southern bridge approach
Read the relationship between the estuary and the first stone spans.
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Zhongzhou island section
Look at the pagodas and commemorative features within the crossing.
This order is editorial. Confirm access and any transfers between stops; it does not establish a walking route, same-day connection or common admission ticket.
Find Luoyang Bridge
洛阳桥 · 泉州市
The pin marks the area, not the entrance.
More places nearby
Approximate straight-line distances between map pins, not travel distances.
Mount Qingyuan 清源山
7 km awayQingyuan Mountain’s best-known landmark is the large seated Laozi carved from stone near the main entrance. Above it, paved paths and steps climb through woodland towards religious monuments and views of Quanzhou. The lake and…
View guide →Quanzhou Maritime Museum 泉州海外交通史博物馆
8 km awayQuanzhou Maritime Museum tells the port’s overseas story through ship models, nautical material and religious stone carving. Tombstones and architectural fragments bearing Islamic, Christian and Hindu imagery are especially…
View guide →Fujian-Taiwan Kinship Museum 中国闽台缘博物馆
9 km awayThe Fujian-Taiwan Kinship Museum presents its interpretation of the historical and cultural ties across the Taiwan Strait. Red brick and pale stone give the large building a distinctly Minnan material palette. Inside…
View guide →Sources & visit information
The sources below support the place-specific description and arrival information. Suggested combinations are editorial planning ideas; confirm current opening, entry arrangements and transport services for your date.
- Luoyang Bridge ↗
- Quanzhou ↗
- Chinese Wikipedia: 洛陽橋 (revision 85863375, 2025-01-29) ↗
- English Wikipedia: Luoyang Bridge (revision 1368634696, 2026-08-10) ↗
Visitor information adapted and edited from Wikipedia contributors, “Luoyang Bridge” · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 1368634696.
Visitor information adapted and edited from Wikivoyage contributors, listing “Luoyang Bridge” · CC BY-SA 4.0.
Background paragraphs translated and condensed from Wikipedia contributors, "洛陽橋", Chinese Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 85863375.
Background paragraphs condensed from Wikipedia contributors, "Luoyang Bridge", English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 1368634696.